What the published timetable says
UKAS’s revised bulletin of 7 October 2026 names 1 November as the point when it would be ready to begin assessing certification bodies for the ISO 9001:2026 transition. It sets a first decision tranche ending on 31 January 2027, with further decisions following from February. This is an accreditation timetable for certification bodies; it does not establish that a particular provider has already been approved.
The bulletin also says certification issued to the new edition before a positive UKAS transition decision must not be presented as accredited. A proposed audit date and the accreditation status behind the resulting certificate therefore need to be checked separately.
Evidence: UKAS [1]
What this means for existing certificate holders
ISO published the new edition on 16 September 2026. Its public explanation highlights leadership, quality culture and a clearer distinction between risks and opportunities. The ISO technical committee’s transition guidance gives organisations already certified to the 2015 edition until 30 September 2029 to complete their transition, potentially through surveillance, recertification or a separate transition audit.
Evidence: ISO [2] ISO/TC 176/SC 2 [3]
ISOaudit analysis: prepare a decision record
Treat the November milestone as a prompt for a focused planning conversation. Ask your certification body when it expects to offer accredited certification to the revised edition, what evidence it expects and how the work fits your existing audit cycle. Record the answer, the source and the date so a later change can be recognised.
For internal preparation, choose a real process and follow a recent decision from the information considered through to the result. This can reveal where a revised policy is supported by working practice and where further evidence is needed. A large collection of rewritten documents is less useful than a clear account of what changed and how it operates.
Original ISOaudit analysis.
ISOAUDIT PRACTICAL STEPS
What to consider next
- Ask your certification body for its planned accredited transition route and retain the written response.
- Give each internal preparation action an owner, evidence reference and review date.
- Use the licensed standard for clause-by-clause review; public news summaries are not the requirements themselves.
These practical steps are ISOaudit’s interpretation. Check the cited information and the requirements that apply to your organisation and certification scope.
SOURCES AND DATES
Check the original information
Publication dates below belong to the sources. They are separate from the date ISOaudit published this article.
- Quality Management Systems (QMS) ISO 9001:2026 Transition UKAS · Published
- ISO 9001:2026 — Quality management systems — Requirements ISO · Publication date not stated
- ISO 9001:2026 has been released! ISO/TC 176/SC 2 · Published
Sources checked 2 November 2026 · Editorial and corrections policy